


Waking Under the Circus Tent

by msraven



Series: Alpha [6]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, Kid Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-23
Updated: 2013-07-23
Packaged: 2017-12-21 03:55:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/895497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/msraven/pseuds/msraven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A quiet start to the morning for Phil, Clint, and little James.</p><p>Follow-on to <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/677684">Under the Not-so-Big Top</a></p>
            </blockquote>





	Waking Under the Circus Tent

**Author's Note:**

  * For [raiining](https://archiveofourown.org/users/raiining/gifts).



> A quick minific for raiining who had a horrible morning. *hugs* I hope this helps a little.
> 
> Set in my Alpha 'verse.

Phil surfaces slowly from a deep, dreamless sleep. He knows he’s somewhere safe and doesn’t rush his languid rise to full consciousness. 

“Papa!” says a small voice.

“Shhh. Quieter, please, James,” whispers another voice that Phil knows better than his own. 

“But Papa,” argues the small voice, volume no quieter than before, “Daddy’s home.”

“Yes, I see that, munchkin,” Clint says. 

There’s a giggle from James that Phil assumes is the result of Clint tickling their son. Phil cracks his eyes open, knowing that Clint is already aware that he’s woken. He sees James and Clint sitting in front of him, all of them still under the makeshift circus tent Phil had come home to the night before.

Clint’s amused eyes flick to Phil’s before settling back on James. “We were letting Daddy get more sleep, remember?” Clint reminds him.

“Why?” James asks.

“Because he needs sleep now to have energy for later,” Clint answers.

“Why does he need energy?” 

Phil quickly reaches out with his arm, snagging James around the waist and pulling him close while using his fingers to tickle along the little boy’s side.

“So I can tickle little boys,” Phil replies with a laugh as James giggles helplessly.

Phil loosens his hold and James launches into his arms, wrapping his little arms tight around Phil’s shoulders. “Daddy!”

Phil wraps his own arms around the little boy, closing his eyes, and sighing happily. It doesn’t take long for James to start squirming impatiently and Phil opens his eyes to see Clint looking at them both fondly. 

“Papa and I built a circus tent!” James announces unnecessarily.

“I see that, kiddo,” Phil smiles, pulling back to look down at James, but unwilling to let him out of his arms just yet.

“It’s a surprise for you. Do you like it?” James asks with bright, excited eyes and Phil can’t help grinning back.

“I do,” he answers. “Very much so.”

“I’m not supposed to tell you, but Papa let me help hang it up,” James says guilelessly.

Phil looks over in time to see Clint flinch at their son’s confession. 

“He did, did he?” Phil asks, not looking away from his husband. “Were you really high up?”

“Super high up!” James responds. “Papa says that, when I’m bigger, he’ll take me to meet his friends from the circus and they’ll let me hang from the trapeze.”

Phil’s eyebrows go up in surprise and Clint shrugs.

“But only if I do really, really good at school,” James continues. “And I’m gonna. Cuz Papa says I need to be smart like you, and Uncle Tony, and Uncle Bruce if I want to be an Avenger.”

Clint only shrugs again when Phil’s brow furrows in disapproval and Phil moves his gaze back to James.

“You know Papa is just as smart?” he asks their son.

“The smartest!” James agrees with a wide grin. “He’s always warning Uncle Tony when something’s about to explode and Uncle Steve keeps asking him questions and Grandpa Nick calls _all_ the time, even when you’re not home.”

“ _Grandpa_ Nick calls all the time?” Phil inquires, glancing quickly at Clint who rolls his eyes in response. Phil still isn’t sure if it was Tony or Clint who saddled Fury with the title, but James now refuses to call the SHIELD director anything else.

“Yup!” James nods. “He says that Papa sees stuff nobody else can, but Auntie Nat says it’s because you and Papa spent so much time not seeing the humvee bus.”

Phil chuckles. “I think she meant obvious.”

“What does ovbee-yus mean?” James asks.

“It means that Auntie Nat needs to be more careful about what she says in front of little ears,” Clint interjects. “And _you_ need to go downstairs to remind Uncle Bruce and Uncle Tony to eat breakfast.”

“Oh yeah!” James cries and throws his arms around Phil again. “Love you, Daddy.”

Phil squeezes back and kisses James’ hair. “Love you too, kiddo.”

James scuttles over to give Clint his own hug, squealing in false protest when Clint responds by rubbing a stubbled chin against his cheek. James runs off, the elevator doors opening automatically at his approach.

“They made some sort of breakthrough on the long-range sensor array last night,” Clint explains. “The munchkin is the only one who can get them out of the lab when they’re like this.”

Phil nods in agreement and holds a hand out for Clint to take, using it to pull his husband back onto the mattress and into a long kiss.

“Mmmm. Good morning,” Clint says and rolls until he has Phil pinned beneath him. “You know...it will take them at least a half an hour to come looking for us.”

“Is that so?” Phil asks, hands already sneaking beneath the waistband of Clint’s pajama pants. “What shall we do with a half hour to ourselves?”

Clint smirks and then rolls his hips against Phil’s as the older man’s hands dip lower. “I think a proper welcome home is in order. JARVIS - Privacy lockdown, please.”

“Done, Agent Barton,” the AI responds. “It’s good to have you home, Agent Coulson.”

“Thank you, JARVIS. It’s good to be home.”

_fin_


End file.
